Current-transforming device.



A. R. BULLOdK CURRENT TRANSFORMING DEVICE. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 23, 1910.

: 1,1 19,397. Patented Dec. 1,1914.

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Patented Dec. 1,1914.

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ARTHUR R. BULLOCK, CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, T0

HENRY 3. LEE, rnus'rnn.

cURnEnT-TnANsronMING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filedvN o vember 23, 1910. Serial No. 593,776,

Cleveland, in the county of Guyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Current-Trans forming Devices, of which the follow ng 1s a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to a device wlnch will by mechanical means convert a direct current into an alternating current, or vice i versa, will produce an alternating current of substantially any desired frequency, and

. more particularly discloses a device which develops an alternating current of peculiar characteristics as will later appear more fully. p

Generally speaking, the invention comprises the elements and the combinations thereof, as set forth in the accompanying claims.

Reference should be had to the acornpanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in Wl110l1- Figure 1 is a front elevation of so much of the machine as it is deemed necessary to illustrate,certain portions of the machine being shown in sectlon. Fig. .2 1s a central transverse section through the rotating memher and showin the relative )osition ofthe a 1 brushes. Fig. 3 is a central transverse vertical section of a modified form of rotating member. Fig. 4 is a fragmentary portion of a plan view of the rotor showing the relation of the bars; and Fig. 5 diagrammatically shows thec'haracteristics of the alternating current which is produced when the rotating member shown in Fig. 3 is used,

F 6 is a side elevation showing the commutator and brush holders.

In view of the fact that a. single or multiphase alternating current is the usual current output of all power stations, it has been necessary for all electrical apparatus to conform in its requirementsas to current, with that which has been the output of the power stations.

There are many forms of electrical apparatus which require a direct current, such, for instance, as the charging of storage cells and other forms of appa 'atus which could be more economically and conveniently used prime mover for the shaft 6.

if a direct current were available, but, due

to the diff culty in transmitting and transformlng direct currents, 1111s the customary practice for the power houses to supply a single or multi-phase alternating current. The machine as shown and described is adapted to rectify such an'alternating current. Furthermore, the device may use a .direct current and change thesame into alternating, and may deliver this alternating current at substantially any frequency,which it is desired to use,-it being merely amat- .ter of proportioning the parts, that is securing a large enough rotating member to produce any frequency which is desired.

In Fig. 1 of the drawings a pedestal is shown at 1, uponwhich are carried bearing blocks 2', 3, upon the opposite sides of the pedestal. These bearing blocks are provided with sleeves 1, 5, which form journals for the opposite ends of a'shaft 6. One end of the shaft 6 is provided with an extension 7 which may be suitably connected with a purpose of rotating the is provided with a flange 9 at one end,

against which seats an undercut ring 10. At the opposite end the drum is screw threaded, as lndicated at 11, and is provided 'with nuts 12- which bear against anundercut ring 13 which slides upon the drum.

Patented Dec. 1, 1914. y

The copper segments or bars formingthe periphery of the member arerepresented at 14-, and are provided with shoulders 14* which are engaged by the rings 10 and 13, so that when the nuts 12 are secured, the segments 14: are held in proper relative position.

The bars forming the periphery of the rotating member are arranged in a series with insulation between each bar, and in use eacn pair of live bars is interspersed with a dead bar, such as illustrated at 15. The dead bars are slightly greater in width than the live bars. For practical purposes. this bar is of copper, the same as the bars 14, but it is electrically disconnected from.

all parts of the apparatus, and hence is termed a dead bar. The bars 16 and 17, which are upon the opposite sides of each dead bar 15, are connected to rings 18 and 19,the bars 16 being connected to the ring 19, While the bars 17 are connected with the ring 18.

Any desired form ofelectrical connection may be used for the purpose of joining the rings 18 and 19 with their respective seg- 1nents, but, for the purpose, I prefer to use annular rings provided with projections 20 and -21, and to provide the several bars 16 and 1-7 with raised lugs which are slotted, the bars 20 and 21 extending into the slots, which construction will securely hold the rings 18 and 19 in proper relative position.

As will be apparent, I have shown the rings 18 and 19 as encircling the members 10 and 13 of the member 8, but such a posi-.

tioning of these members is not absolutely necessary, but is adopted for the purpose of economizing space. A fiber washer or its, equivalent is'inserted between the rings and the members which they encircle, as indicated at '22 in Fig, 1..

From the foregoing, it will be clear that all of the segments 16 are electrically connected with the ring 19, while all of the segments '17 are electrically connected with thering 1-8. Upon each ofthe sleeves 4 and 5 arms 23 and 24 are mounted, which arms are adjustable angularlywith respect to their bearings, and. at their ends, support transverse bars, such as represented at 25, upon which bars are mounted the brushesor contact members B, -B',' C and C. Each contact member may consist of one or more brushes such as represented 'at27 in Fig. 1,this particular set shown being the contact member represented at B in Fig. 2. Four-of-s'uch arms 23,24, are shown in the 'drawnigs,-this being the number of sets of brushes which are usedwith this particular machine, but it will be apparent that a greater or less number may be used as occasion may demand If desired, the current whichis collected by. the brushes 27 fromthesegments, or, on the other hand, current which is delivered through brushes 27 to the segments, may be conducted over the bars-25,' and, for this purpose electrical conductors maybe secured to the proper bars. But I prefer to insulate eachof the brushes 27' and to connect each of the brushes by a suitable conductor28, which is in series, with a'coil'29, which coil may be either a reactance coil or a resistance coil, "and is electrically con nected to a bus bar 30. It will, of'course, be understood that a separate bus bar isfem ployed for each-set of brushes,

For the purpose. of the present machine, and as far as themanipulation of the 6180-. trio current is concerned, two brushes are all that are required, and the position of these brushes is diagrammatically represented at B and C in Fig. 2, and the brushes are so positioned with respect to each other ways. If, for instance, a direct current be supplied through the wires F and G, and we were to consider the wire G as the positive conductor, then current being supplied to the brush 18 and to the ring 18 will, through the connections previously described, supply the bars 17 with current, which, as the member 7 revolves will flow alternately to the brushes B and C, and return alternately through the brushes C and B and passing to the segments '16 and ring 19 will return along the conductor F. Therefore at alternate t periods a current would flow out over the conductor D and back over the conductor E, and then reversing itself would flow over the conductor E and back over the conductor D. Thus, from the direct current which was supplied to the brushes 18 and 19% there would be delivered through the conductors and E an alt-en nating current. The frequency of this alternating current will'depend entirely upon the speed at whichthe member 7 is run, for the 'speed of this member is the single factor which governs the number of makes and breaks between the segments and the brushes which bear upon them. Of course, the diameter o'f the drum 8 would have to' be chosen with respect to the frequency which it was desired to obtain, for'there is a practical limit to the speed at which the di'um may be revolved, but it will 'be well understood that as the diameter of the drum -increases and thereby the circumferential length, that the peripheral speed increases, if the shaft upon which the rotating member is mounted be rotated at the same speed. It is therefore simply a question of mechanical design to obtain a drum which will produce any frequency desired, that is to say within the limits of the strength of the material used in the' construction 'of the machine. If it be desired the direct current may be supplied through" the conductors D and E, in which event the current will be conducted through the segments 16 and 17 alternately to the bars 19 and 18, which will in turn deliver the current to the brushes 19? and 18, and this current will be supplied to the external conductors F and G in the form of an alternating current. It will, therefore, be apparent that the machine is reversible. y

The practical difiiculty aboutmechanical transforming devices, and it is true with regard to the construction which has just been described, lies in the fact that the make the brush C" are so placed with respect to the brushes B and C that they are always upon a' segment of the same group of segments as their principal brush, and therefore, according tothe construction previously disclosed, the segments in each group being electrically connected, it follows that the auxiliary brushes are electrically connected with their principal brush through thesegments. Each principal and auxiliary brush is so spaced that as the principal brush is about vto leave the particular se ment with which it is l). contact, the auxiliarv brush is in full contact with the segment upon which it is bearing. I

.Each principal and its auxiliary brush are'conne'ct'ecl in series with a condenser X;

and from the construction described it will be clear that as the principal brush is pass .ing from the particular segment with which it is in contact, the currentfiowing in that particular segment, which current would tend to flow to the brush as it left the segment, will, on-tli'e contrary, fiow'through the other segment with which the auxiliary brush is making good electrical contact,

7 and this forthe reason that there is less resistance to the path of travel of the current i in this direction than there would be for the current to flow to the principal brush. Therefore at the time a principal brush breaks contact with a' conducting'segment, a circuit containingcapacity, or more specifically, a condenser, is introduced between the segment with which the auxiliary brush contacts and theprincipal brush. Remembering that the segment with which the auxilia-ry brush contacts at the moment is 616C"? trically connected with the segment with which the principal brush has just broken, and further that these segments are both electrically connected with one side of the circuit supplying current to the segment, it

will be clear that the circuit containing capacity may be said to be introduced between the cooperating sides of the circuit of whlch the brushes F, G and B, G are the terminals.

It will be clear that the brush B, after having contacted with a segment 17, will next cooperate with a segment 16, after having passed a dead space 15. If we were to assume, therefore, that the bars 17 had previously been supplying a current to, the brush B, then with the contact between the brushes B and the segments 16 the current would be flowing in the opposite direction,-that is, from the brush B to the segment 16. This then would bring the brush B into. contact with asegment 16, and consequentlythe current which had previously been stored in the condenser would be delivered through the brush B to the segment 16, and thus returned to the line conductor. From' this it will be apparent that the condensers are alternately charged and discharged. This action of the condensers not only results in preventing sparking between segments and brushes, but also has a balancing and steadying' effect upon the circuit carrying the converted current, probably due to the capacity efiect in the circuit which is given by the condensers.

It has been found advantageous to use a series of brushes bearing upon the segments of the commutator, rather than a single brush, and in the drawing I have shown five brushes although more or less may be used, as necessity may demand.v These brushes theoretically bearing upon the same segment at the same time should carry equal amounts of; current, but in practice it is found that, due to mechanical imperfections, some brushes will usually be making better contact with the segments'than others, and consequently that brush which is making the best contact will be carrying the greatest 7 amount of. current. Therefore, when thebrush carrying the particular amount of current breaks its contact with a segment bar, the sudden'breaking of the current causes an excessive spark, which, perhaps, may be due to the fact that the condenser does not act quickly enough. In any event, if some means could be provided for equalizing the current which would be taken by each brush so that each brush was taking substantially the same amount of current,- then when the brushes breakwith any given segment, the current flowing between the segment and any given brush at the moment of the breaking will not be excessive and will readily be taken care of by the condenser. In carrying out this featurebas heretofore explained, a

then, any excessive current tends to flow through any one of the brushes, the current in passing through the coil .29 of that particular brush will be chokedback and seek a path through one. or -more of the other brushes, and} .tlieic'oils 29' may be adjusted,

so as to distribi itesubstantially the same' V ment-of the rotating member is substantially twice as great as the width of each live segment. And further, each dead space 31 is made up o f-a plurality of thin segments 32, each ofwhich are insulated from the other and from the live bars upon either side of the end bars of the dead space. This is done for a dual purpose; first, to produce an electric current of particular and peculiar characteristics; and in the second place, to prov1de a series of lnsulatedspaces between the live commutator bars, past which any are, which might be formed upon the breaking of the current between a brush and segment,

annot traverse. For mechanical reasons the dead *spacecannot be formed entirely of insulating material.

The arrangement of the brushes 33, 31, and 36 is relatively the same as that heretofore described, so that no further explanation of this feature will be necessary.

By the particularspacing and relationship between the live .bars of the device, a current having characteristics represented by the curveshown in Fig. 5, is obtained. The curve in full lines represents the voltage while the curve in dotted lines represents the current. In both cases the horizontal line represents time. '{na'machine employing such a rotating member as just described the voltage immediately jumps to its maximum.

andmaintains itself at that maximum during the entire time that the brushes are in contact with a rotating member segment, bu t the current lags behind the volts and may be graphically represented by the dotted line .37. As soon as the current has attained its maximum value, the rotating member segment passes from contact with the brush, at

' which ihstant the voltage immediately drops, but the current lags a little in this in stance also. and may be represented by the line 38. The space represents the interval or dead space between the flow of the current .in one direction and the flow of'the current in the opposite direction, and at the end of this dead space a current of the same characteristics as previously described passes over the conductors in the opposite direction' It will be apparent that the current repre sented by the curve here shown and deflow so that the current Will 11 scribed is not a continuous alternating current, but there is an interruption between the machine is equally adapted to rectify anv alternating current. In this connection the member 7 is rotated by a motor which causes the rotating member to rotate synchronously with the generator which is supplying the alternating current, and the drum is. rotated at such a speed that during the interval in which a segment of one group passes from beneath one of the brushes and is followed by a segment of another group the current will have changed its direction of flow. This may more readily be understood in connection with the following explanation. If, for instance, we assume that the alternating current in a given interval of time, is flowing over the conductor F through the brush 19 ring 19 and rotating member segments 16, then this current will flow through the brush C and upon the conductor E, returning over the conductor D, segments 17, ring 18, brush 18 and conductor G. As the segments rotate, in the next interval of time a segment 17 wiil' come into contact with the brush C, while a segment 16 will come into contact with the brush B. Duringthis time .the current supplied by the generator will have changed its direction of 'oW be flowing through the conductor G, brush 18 ring 18, segment 1?, brush C and conductor E, and

' thence through the conductor D, segment 16,

ring 19, brush-19 and conductor F. Durmg the next interred of time a segment 16 will again be beneath the brush C and a segment 17 beneath the brush B, but during passing out of the machine by the conductor G. From the above, it. will be clear that apositive current will le continually delivered to the conductor E and return through the conductor D, and in this manner the alternating currents supplied to the machine will be rectified. The same phenomena of sparking as the brushes B and C break contact with the segments will be present when the machine is used to rectify an alternating current, and c'onsequently the auxiliary brushes B and C with the interposed condensers will act in the same manner to absorb the current which makes the spark, as has been previously explained. The number of segments employed is quite immaterial so long as there is an even number, and,

of course, the greater the number of seg-.

ments the slowerthe rotor may be rotated.

It makes no difference what may be the frequency of the alternating current, because this factor may be taken care. of by the speed at which the member 7 is rotated, being rotated faster for higher frequencles and slower for the lower frequencies, The problem of synchronizing the rotat1on of the rotating member to bear a fixed relat on to the speed of the generator is one wh ch may be easily solved, and will be clear to those who are skilled in the art.

If desired, more than one set of brushes may be employed in connection with the same rotating member for the purpose of taking off current in addition to the current which is taken off by the brushes previously described, and the numbenof sets of brushes which may then be employed is limited only by the size of the rotating member.

In Fig. 3 a second set of brushes is shown in connection with the rotating member,

which brushes supply a current to the conductors H and I. As shown, these brushes are so placed upon the rotating member as to take off a current which is a half wave length behind the current taken by the first set of brushes. Therefore, the conductors H and I may be used in conjunction with the conductors D and E, and thus form a two-phase alternating circuit. Or, if desired, the current taken over the conductors Hand I may be used entirely separate from the current flowing on the conductors D and E. Again, the second set of brushes may be so positioned upon the rotating member as to take oil a current which is in phase withthe current taken off by the first set of brushes, and in this event, the current thus collected will be entirely distinct from thercurrent taken oii by the first set of brushes.

In the construction heretofore described, I have explained the use of an auxiliary brush and condenser in connection with each of the principal brushes, but in the apparatus herein shown and described, the principal brushes B and C may be so positioned with respect to each other that one of them completely breaks contact with its adjacent segment before the other brush has broken engagement with its adjacent segment. That is to say, the break in the circuit may be made to take place at one of the brushes, and when this is done, whatever sparking there may be will take place between the brush thus selected and its seg ment. Therefore under such an arrangement it would only be necessary to use .a

of means for electrically connecting and dis-- connecting each side of one of said circuits alternately with the opposite sides of the 7 other of said circuits in combination with a circuit containing capacityadapted to be introduced between cooperating sides of said alternating and direct current circuits when the electrical connection between such sides is broken by the aforesaid means.

2. In a current converting device, the combination with a set of insulated segments, means for electrically connecting an alternating current circuit and adirect current circuit with said segments, and a circuit containing capacity connected between cooperating sides of said alternating and direct current circuits, at the time electrical connection between thev circuits is broken.

3. In a current converting device, the combination with a set of insulated segments, means for electrically connecting an alternating current circuit and a direct current circuit with said segments, and a circuit containing a condenser introduced between cooperating parts of said alternating and direct current circuits, at the time electrical connection between the circuits is broken.

4. In acurrent convertingdevice, the combination with a set of insulated segments, direct and alternating current brushes .electrically connected with the segments and a circuit containing capacity connected between cooperating pairs of said brushes, at the time the electrical connection between the circuits is broken.

5. In a current converting device, the combination with a set of insulated segments, direct and alternating current brushes electrically connected with the segments, and a circuit containing a condenser connected between cooperating pairs-of said brushes, at the time electrical connection between the circuits is broken.

6. In a current converting device, the combination of a rotatable body of conducting segments insulated from each other, a plurality of segments always forming the terminals of an electric circuit, a plurality of brushes, one brush for each of the said segments, which contact with the said segments, the said brushes being terminals for another circuit, and a condenser which remains in the circuit between a given segment and the brush bearing thereon for a short time after the brush has broken contact with said segment.

7. In acurrent converting device, the combination with a rotatable body of conducting segments thereon insulated from each other and arranged in groups, each of said groups being electrically connected with a separate conductor, a plurality of principal brushes bearing upon the'rotatingmember, there being the same number of principal brushesas there are groups of segments, an auxiliary brush for each principal brush bearing upon a segment of the rotating body which is of the same group as that with which .its principal brush is contacting, means electrically connected with each principal brush and its auxiliary brush for absorbing the current when the principal brush 7 breaks contact with a segment, said means being adapted to return the current thus absorbed onto the line when the load brush makes contact withthe following segment of the, opposite group of segments, and cenductors with which the load brushes are connected.

'In a current converting device, the com; bination with arotatable body of conduct: ing segments insulated from-each other and arranged in groups, each ofthe said groups being electrically connected with a separate conductor, a plurality of principal brushes bearing upon the said rotating member, the number {of brushes being equal to the number of groups of segments, an auxiliary brush for each principal brush bearing upon therotating member, each auxiliary brush being spaced from its principal brush so that they will always be in electrical connection with each other through the segments which they engage, a condenser electrically connected with each load brush and its auxiliary brush, and conductors connected with each of the principal brushes.

9. In a current converting device, the combination with a rotatable body of con-. ducting segments which are spaced apart by a distance slightly greater than their width and being insulated from e'achother, the

said segments vbeing divided into two groups, the segments of each group being connected with a conducting ring, a brush bearing upon each ring, conductors connected with the said brushes, a pair of prin- I cipal brushes bearing upon the said periphcry of the rotating member, an auxiliary -brush for each principal brush also bearing onthe periphery of therotating member, each auxiliary brush being spaced from the load brush so as' to always be in electrical connection therewiththrough the same group of segments, means-electrically conducting segments which are spaced and insulated from each other, the saidsegments being divided into two groups, a pair of rings rotating with the said member, each group of-segments on the said body being connected with one of the rings, brushes bearing upon said rings, electrical 'conductors connected with the brushes, two sets of principal brushes bearing upon the said member, the sets being spaced apart and the brushes in each set bearing simultaneously upon the same segment of the said body, one set of brushes being incontact witha segment of one group, while the other set of brushes is in contact with a segment of the other group, a set otauxiliary brushes for each of the principal brushes, each set of brushes. being placed upon the rotating member so as to always be in electrical connection with its principal brush by means of the segments, a condenser, in electrical connection with each set of principal brushes and its auxiliary set of brushes, and conductors, connected with each set of load brushes.

11. In a current converting device, the combination'with a rotatable body of seg ments spaced and insulated from each other, which segments are arranged in groups each of the said groups being electrically connected with a separate conductor, a gala "rality of sets ofbrushes bearing upon the of a difierent group of segments, .a conductor with. which each set of brushes connects, means for equalizing the flow of current between the brushes and the conductor, a plurality of sets of auxiliary brushes bearing on the rotating member, one set for each of the first mentioned brushes, and a condenser connected between each auxiliary set of. brushes and 'each set of the first mentioned brushes.

12. In a current converting device, the combination with a rotatable body of segments which arespaced from each other by a distance substantially twice the width of each segment, said segments being insulated from each other, said segments being arranged in two groups, conductor rings, each of the said groups being electrically con nected with a separate conductor ring, brushesbearing upon the said conductor brushes are connected, two sets of brushes rings, electrical conductors with which the miegaei '7 brushes in the said sets being spaced from 1'11 testimony whereofi, I hereunto afix my egchother, such a distance that inhe brushes signature in the presence of two Witnesses. 0 one set are in contact With t1 e segments 1 in-one group, while the brushes of the other ABTfiUR BULLOCK 9 set are in contact with the segments in the Witnesses:

other'group, and conductors eonnected with A J. HUDSON, said. brushes. H. R. SUILIVAN.

copiel of this patent may be e'nteinei for five cents each, by each-easing the fiommissioner of Patents,

Washington, I. (3. 

